AUGUST 25: When speaking to the media after Denver’s preseason finale – a game in which Stidham and Wilson both played – Payton confirmed (via Renck) that finances will not be a factor discouraging the team from keeping both in place in addition to Nix. A number of teams around the NFL will likely show at least some interest in adding a signal-caller over the next few days, but they may not have the opportunity to obtain one of the Broncos’ passers if Payton’s willingness to hold onto all three holds true.
AUGUST 24: Bo Nix is the Broncos’ starter, a development his draft status and college experience long signaled. This leaves the team’s veteran arms either competing for one roster spot or set to determine which passer is Nix’s immediate backup.
Sean Payton kept only two QBs on the active roster for most of last season, and the Saints regularly rostered only two passers during Drew Brees‘ tenure. With more uncertainty in Payton’s current QB room, however, an exception may need to be made.
The Broncos are not against carrying three passers on the 53-man roster, with Payton indicting (via the Denver Post’s Troy Renck) this is under consideration. While an offseason rule change allows an unlimited number of practice squad elevations for an emergency third quarterback, the Broncos would run the risk of losing one of their backups if they made a cut by Tuesday’s 3pm CT deadline.
The second-year Denver HC might be posturing to potentially drive a trade, but the Broncos’ backup options have disparate profiles. With Nix going into his first season, the team keeping Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson would make sense. The former brings experience in Payton’s system, having signed a two-year deal worth $10MM in the HC’s first Denver free agency period, with the latter supplying higher upside — albeit with a low floor Jets fans observed for the past three seasons.
Last year’s spree of quarterback injuries leaguewide also could give the Broncos a potential trade chip, as the team carrying all three could precede calls. While Wilson expectedly generated minimal trade interest this offseason, needs arise based on injuries. Stidham is more experienced and would conceivably appeal as a backup option elsewhere — especially in the event a starter goes down. The Texans took calls on both their C.J. Stroud backups — Davis Mills, Case Keenum — before last year’s deadline.
Stidham, 28, preceded Nix as Auburn’s starter and would make more sense as an immediate backup. He spent last season as Russell Wilson‘s QB2, before once again being inserted into a starting lineup largely due to a starter’s contract issue, and is going into his sixth year. Stidham started the Broncos’ first preseason game and entered camp in the QB1 role. Wilson certainly has more starting experience, but his Jets starter arc does not exactly work in his favor. Bringing more upside as a passer, Wilson was still benched three times as a Jet. He also has been Denver’s third-stringer for weeks, never making a serious challenge — despite some recent Payton praise — for the starting job.
It would cost nearly the same amount of dead money to jettison either vet. The Broncos would incur $2MM in dead money by releasing Stidham; they would take on $2.76MM in dead cap by waiving Wilson. The 25-year-old arm not being a vested vet stands to play into Denver’s decision, as there is a chance Wilson is claimed if waived. Though, that is far from a certainty. With only $1MM of Stidham’s base salary guaranteed, the team could also save $5MM by cutting him. No cap savings would come from a Wilson cut.
The Broncos will hope this does not matter much, preparing to give the keys to their first-round pick ahead of what the team hopes is a lengthy starter tenure. The team has seen its recent starters — from Russell Wilson to Teddy Bridgewater to Drew Lock to Joe Flacco — suffer injuries requiring relief work, making the Stidham-and/or-Wilson call rather important.
I don’t understand why the Broncos brought Zach Wilson in. Since the trade compensation in play for Wilson was for 6th and 7th round picks, they could have visited this option if they had not gotten Bo Nix (or some other QB) in the first round. As it stands now they have their QB of the future (Nix) and a decent stopgap if needed (Stidham). Wilson is superfluous.
Agreed. Wilson has shown over and over again he isn’t an NFL QB
The problem is, Stidham is complete garbage as well.
Because Stidham was already signed for 2024, and did not cost any draft capital, he is/was a superior option over Wilson.
Nah, Wilson’s shown more upside so far this preseason. Especially with superior arm talent compared to stidham
Obviously you’re in deep trouble if you reach a point where you’re having to rely on a third string QB. On the other hand I think teams will go to having 3 QBs on the roster once the league moves on to the 18 game schedule. For teams like Denver (who won’t be in a playoff hunt this season) there really isn’t much downside to doing a bit of experimenting behind the starter.
I think Denver is closer to a wild card spot than most people think. With the schedule as well is not that far out.
They can move QB3 to the practice squad and use him as an emergency backup. NE did that merry go round last year.
They must be planning on trading one of them – as a bunch of teams have shown in the preseason that they need someone who ‘might’ when a game when the starter goes down – as I noted about 7 or 8 teams in the preseason who clearly have no chance to win a game with the 2nd/3rd string QBs they now have on their rosters…
What’s the upside, exactly, that Wilson brings? Stidham should cover any base that Wilson could be expected to, in my mind.
I just like the movie possibilities that present themselves where Wilson is the menace instead of Dennis.
It’s pretty much a guarantee all three of these QBs will start at least one game this season, as Denver finishes 4-13 and inevitably drafts another quarterback.
Obviously you are wrong regarding the capabilities of Bo Nix….he’s a winner, played in a pro-style winning program, has uncanny accuracy, thinks on his feet and will excel when given the chance…now a lot has to do in surrounding him with better offensive options, and of course the old injury bug, but if he remains on his feet, the other 2 mooks will not see a single game except in mop-up winning or losing…..Denver has its QB of the future…..
You must be talking about the bears and Caleb Williams. Nix has dazzled all preseason, where Williams has struggled and looked shoddy with accuracy. Williams has had what a few dazzling throws? Other then that has looked terrible, and what threw 7 straight int’s at one point? And before you go to the statement of “oh nix played against backups” so has Williams who has looked terrible albeit one or two throws.
Caleb didn’t look “terrible”. He was ok.
But don’t get too high on any rookie QB until 1) they play an NFL game for all 4Qs against starters and 2) they play an entire season